popeye the sailor

hi there Pete...........saw this wonderful log on the right hand side of the forum page..... she's looking very good ......I really like the colors you've chosen and the way you edged the sheer and cockpit! very nice work!

sorry to hear that KP. I haven't seen a revell kit with a sail configuration like that...........but the 80-5897 kit of the La Reale, REALLY does show it! whether you keep it as is, or change it around......it will still be a very nice build. I wish you luck in getting the parts

it happens........damn those gremlins! you caught it when you did. you'll make a full recovery

hey Dave.....good to see your back! I think Revell shows them knotted and cemented in place through holes in the hull. you went above and beyond to make them look functional

today......it was the upper hull that got focused on. I need to mix a special black, according to the TRMA site I had noticed that there was raised lettering where the name should be. I trimmed it off and sanded the area the final hole was drilled through the pedestals. they are ready to paint. I didn't want to use Testor's gold for them.......it would be too shiny. I decided on the Billing's gold paint. after they were dry, gave them a coat of dull coat. the props were painted with it as well. I'll later give them some green patina....perhaps a touch of flat black. now......I wanna warn you...the next two pictures will scare you {they did me}. I had mixed light gray and a touch of med green to what was left of the flat black I had on the table......until I had what matched the last example on the chart. I took these with normal light,,,,I think the camera adjusted it as well. I thought I had painted it with battleship gray.....or something! it had time to cure when I put on the overhead crane light for these next photos. I felt better about it when I saw them I did a little bit more to the cranes.........work in progress

Tuesday, I began work with the bottom paint. I kept my fingers crossed I was right about the spray primer. it wasn't........I did a review of the color chart on the TRMA site. it seemed a lot redder and flatter, than the rustoleum example. I added some light brown to it, and fiddled with the paint I had decanted into a 1/4 oz bottle....I knew where I'd be going with this. especially when I saw how this paint looked, after I had touched up one of the screw tunnels. I lost some of the red tint, but I got closer to the rustoleum......and the Floquil examples. the only thing to do now, is touch up the other tunnel, and paint the entire bottom.

two different size drill bits took care of the first row, along the bulwark.......the other three to four rows was the third size. I probably should have mentioned it earlier. thanks for the good word gents!

nice progress Nils very nice set up at the stern as well. props are very close....really like the way they look

no, I won't be doing that Mark.........although, do you know what I'd end up with? a really long table candle thanks for the good words........I'm really enjoying the suggestions. they'd be neat to try, but I think the scale would stop me cold thanks for the likes as well.........update soon

remember the love.......joy.....and happy times Nenad. I join the roster, of all those who search for the right words to say, in your time of sadness. my condolences my friend, I wish for you comfort, solace, and peace.

very.....very nice! cockpit looks really good!

nice progress! it's slow {I use white glue, and CA for the tight spots}, but when your finished, you'll be glad you took the time! love the color!

a big thanks to everyone for the kind comments. some of you even want to see me go over the deep end........when I was doing the railings, the admiral said I was crazy........when she saw me drilling these holes, the admiral said I was crazy. I can imagine what she would say if she saw me doing rivets and porthole rings.........I'd be in a tie-back jacket before you could blink! suggest it to me when I have the Billing's Titanic I do have something for glass mark........or I could just go mental with the window maker. not sure if I'll do it though......I'll look into it. thanks also for for you folks who hit the like button!

almost hated to bring it up........instructions can be a bear to decipher. you could try cloth sails......with the work you've done on this vessel......it would be well worth doing the steps look great......beautifully done!

I was going to hold on to this, until I had a little more meat with the potatoes, but awwww what the heck.......I may as well post it now.....it's Friday's progress. it's the beginning phase for the paint work of the hull. if I'm going to attempt lighting this model, I thought it would be cool to drill out all the portholes. the admiral had to go to a doctor's appointment......I began at the table, but soon retreated to the front porch. when she came home......I guess she was unnerved with not finding me in the house.......I dunno.....she seemed relieved when she finally tracked me down. it took a while..........I used three different size drills to do this.....but they are all done now I guess I'll try and touch up those screw tunnels

sorry for my late reply Tim.....work pulled me away... thanks for the good words.....and yea, I can agree with that. unless a person has some skill in scratch building and modification, plastic kits can be quite daunting. some detail missing.......incorrect detail and {or} location of said part, are just a few of the problems one can come across. I do like the Academy kit......I've resided myself to the fact that all kits have their quirks.....so now I just throw it on the table, and away I go The TRMA site....most of these folks {in the forum......a very odd forum, by the way} utilize the Minicraft kit of the Titanic. I'm not a huge fan of Minicraft, but after seeing what the contents of the kit looks like, I'm tempted to pick it up the next time I see it. this is the minicraft kit contents......there are some really major differences. I think this is 1:350.....slightly larger than the Academy kit. thank Greg........yea....that's the flag staff. I showed the hole in question a few pictures ago. it's really not a big deal....I merely posted the info about it, just in case someone out there buys the kit and stumbles on it.....they won't get all weirded out by it if I don't find the {missing} part soon, I'll simply fill it in and paint over it. glad to know I haven't lost one of my pet peeves.........the hole that goes nowhere

sorry to hear about your loss Nenad........my condolences to you thoughts and prayers

looking very nice Nils!

sad to hear my friend, but glad that all is well. I'll look forward in seeing your updates again

do both sails 'billow' in the same direction? the main sail billows to the starboard side, but it appears that the fore sail billows to the port side. I hope I'm wrong.

I worked with plastic before I got bit by the wood bug........I do have a couple plastic kits in the closet, but I found new fun with wood.....hard to say if it's magic or not......do what you enjoy, and enjoy what you do thank you Nenad yea.....the hole is odd to me too.....I'll dwindle down the parts and see what I have left. we can only deal with parts that the kit contains.......that is, unless the enhancement you want to do, is doable in the first place. but it is good to talk about the ship and what is covered in it's assembly......after all, it is a build log I was browsing through ' old model kits .com ' ....saw the Olympia and the Lusitania.....they would be cool, but the scale is too small! I want something bigger! ........like the one Nils is doing thank you my friend~!

I use window maker to fill in the lense and paint them for the inside.......I'm good with that I've even made my own. as for your F451, it is the ball for the floatation buoys {I added an extra one in my build of the Mary Ann. I also built the Cux 87, which is pretty much the same model, with a slight variation in fittings. I haven't looked at the Cux instructions to see whether they show a fittings list {picture}......the Mary Ann instructions don't but I looked at the instructions that Billing Boats show on their site, and they show that part. why it looks like that......I couldn't say.

a very interesting design.......I like the idea of the stringers. I also like the size super progress at this point Nils

this week has been busy......I've been bouncing from the table to mowing the lawns......to raking up a particularly nasty area by the garage......wiring up outlets and motion detector lights on the garage. I think this week has been very productive so far ahhhhh, but this is the last day of it........I had taken Monday off and it will be back to work for me on Saturday. I think I'm going to book another vacation........soon...............I want it! the roofs on the structures that populate the boat deck, have a pretty distinct bit of paint work. the funnel platforms need to be painted......but one does not have a distinct platform.......but still has the pattern design to be laid out for it. I was thinking about it, while working on another aspect......and then it hit me........make a masking template grabbed the masking tape and laid a strip over one of the funnel platforms......cutting out the center where the funnel is to be cemented. then I cut around the shape of the platform. the area in question is here........ removing the newly formed template and laying it down on the area, I found that I didn't need the entire template. so, I cut off the extra and folded it over. painting went well. then, I took care of the anchor chain, painting it black. I was going to simply replace the chain......but this will be good practice for me..... I also added the winches on the lower level of the part. here is the hole that I mentioned Ben. yes, the hole to the very aft is for a flag staff........but I went through the entire set of instructions, and could not find a part that goes here. I will probably end up blanking it out later. I almost had an oopsie moment.....adding enhancement #3 to the cranes. I wanted to drill a couple holes near the tip of the booms, to add cables. they look silly without them. the drill slipped off it's mark......not just once.......but twice! it was looking pretty bleak for this to work, but after patching up the damaged crane with some plastic putty, I got an idea. I would simply lay the ends aside the pulley at the tip and call it good. I can touch them up afterwards. I soon had them all rigged....... I was painting up the ship's wheel and helm.....such a tiny part.........and finally cemented it in place. I added a couple more parts, and that finishes the stern / poop deck assembly. I can put it aside now. for the bow. the last two parts to be added are the extra anchor, and the stanchion.......I believe it would be used as an aide with hauling up the anchors......not completely sure. I'm beginning to miss wood

you've done very well.........some real super progress!